Coming 2 America

POSITIVES…

  • For those actually super curious about what happens after "Coming To America," well here you go. 

  • If you like more of that “fish out of water” stories, here you go again.

  • The fun new ensemble cast additions are enjoyable to watch, with stand outs by Jermaine Fowler, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, and more. 

  • I'm pleasantly reminded how entertaining Arsenio Hall is, and Shari Headley is most welcomed back as Lisa McDowell. 

  • That one scene with James Earl Jones and the big reveal. Arguably the best scene of the movie. 

  • Let's be honest. Besides the nostalgia factor, the only other reason to want to watch this movie is to see the different characters Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall get to play in this. 

  • Oh and cameos. People like them cameos right? 

  • Gett Off.

NEGATIVES…

  • Some predictable tropes and conveniences. 

  • Most of the humor mostly falls flat. Not all. Almost all. Most. 

  • Felt half-hearted with the social issues brought up. 

  • Heck, the script just felt lazy.

  • It seemed embarrassingly stuck in the late 1980s at times. 

  • The obvious product placements are probably more embarrassing. 

  • To quote a line from this very movie, "This is true about sequels, if something's good, why ruin it."

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Coming 2 America - watched it on PRIME VIDEO

Moxie

POSITIVES…

  • As a high school teen movie about feminism, sexism, and the patriarchy, this is a story you should definitely consider checking out. 

  • Excellent ensemble cast! Hadley Robinson, Lauren Tsai, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Sydney Park, Anjelika Washington, Nico Hiraga, Ike Barinholtz, Marcia Gay Harden, plus Amy Poehler, and so many more! 

  • The interactions and conversations between Vivian and her Mom Lisa are a definite highlight of this movie. 

  • Undeniably provocative. Several scenes memorably pushes your buttons on the social issues and commentaries that's presented. 

  • There are some monologues here that are worth listening to. 

  • Soundtrack is awesome. Shout out to The Linda Lindas!!!

  • While not necessarily an actual comedic film, there are still some solid jokes on here. 

  • "I need a shit-load of copies!"

  • White people playing Mahjong?!

NEGATIVES…

  • Some expected tropes associated with high school stories. 

  • Production felt like it was more a TV show than a cinematic film. 

  • Pacing could be more exciting. 

  • The third act. Not everybody is going to like that third act. 

  • Patronizing in some regards. 

  • Heavy handed?

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Moxie - watched it on NETFLIX

Tom and Jerry the Movie

POSITIVES…

  • Seeing the interactions between animated animals and the real world is well done. 

  • The traditional hi-jinks of Tom & Jerry lives up enough to what you expect from them. 

  • There's a Rube Goldberg gag, which was apropos. 

  • I particularly liked Spike and Toots! 

  • Animal tornado! Gotta have an animal tornado. 

  • Kudos to Chloë Grace Moretz and Michael Peña for trying their best to act with the animated animals. 

  • As embarrassingly dumb as it can get, it proves that it's heart is in the right place by the end of the movie. 

  • I'll always find the fact Tom plays the keyboard entertaining.

NEGATIVES…

  • Expect the usual derivative nonsense from this attempt of a kids movie. 

  • Human actors were trying way too hard. 

  • Comedy bits weren't trying hard enough.  

  • They casually brought up social issues for some reason, which was so unnecessary. 

  • Soundtrack somehow felt out of place for this. 

  • It just felt like work trying to get through the unentertaining parts of this movie.  

  • The after credits scene wasn't even good enough to be something worth waiting for!

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Tom and Jerry the Movie - watched it on HBO MAX

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry

POSITIVES…

  • If you're a fan of Billie Eilish, you have all the reasons in the world to want to see this. 

  • If you've never heard of musical artist Billie Eilish, this documentary does a fantastic job of showing you who she is, and her life as a teenage celebrity. Upsides and downsides and all. 

  • There’s a good chunk dedicated to her concerts, and it’s entertaining to pretty much be like a fly in the wall to her experience touring. Fans singing along and shin splints and all. 

  • This film covers a lot of the song making process, and there were multiple moments that were fascinating and interesting. Insightful and provocative ideas and all. 

  • Gotta appreciate this personal look into her life, who she is as a person, her family, and most importantly her opinions. The whole family are all opinionated people, with thoughts, ideas, and emotions, that are absolutely worth exploring. 

  • HUGE shout out to her brother Finneas O'Connell, and her parents Maggie Baird, Patrick O'Connell (and hello Pepper the dog!). They are a huge part of her life and her talent, and this film doesn’t shy away from that fact at all. "Our family is one big f***ing song." 

  • That whole thing with Justin Bieber. 

  • Coachella is a big segment in this documentary, and deservedly so. 

  • There’s a line you’ll often hear from her fans, “I Love you Billie!,” and there’s a reason you hear that constantly. 

  • Just a note to mention. This appropriately enough doesn't censor Billie much at all.

NEGATIVES…

  • Parents watching this with their young kids might balk at the lack of censorship. 

  • It's a 140 minutes documentary! There’s even a break designated as an intermission! I hope it keeps your attention. 

  • Actually, if it doesn't grab you in 20-30 minutes, you may as well stop watching. 

  • Narrative-wise it’s arguably too straight forward in chronicling several years of her life, before it starts actually embracing a theme to the movie. 

  • Felt undeniably indulgent in that it stays on scenes and songs far longer than it probably really has to.

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Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry - watched it on Apple TV+

Minari

POSITIVES…

  • Chasing the American Dream. What's not to relate? 

  • This story of this blue-collar family, their trials and tribulations, hits on so many emotional levels. 

  • It was really easy to get invested with the family, and it's all thanks to the talented acting by Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, and Youn Yuh-jung.

  • Alan Kim as David and Youn Yuh-jung as Grandma are amazing as the scene stealers in this film. 

  • There are some dramatically devastating and heartbreaking scenes. 

  • It's not like this movie is just a big downer though, as there is some good levity in the narrative too. 

  • Fascinating seeing how the narrative handles the culture shocks and culture clashes. 

  • Offers life lessons that everybody could learn. 

  • Appreciated how the movie handled the interactions between this Asian Family and the predominantly white American people they encountered in Arkansas. 

  • "If the tornado hits, this house will fly away." 

  • Mountain Dew.

NEGATIVES…

  • It's not going to be the fastest moving or most exciting film for some people. 

  • Some plot conveniences.

  • Not for those who don't like reading subtitles.

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Minari - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Red Dot

POSITIVES…

  • A couple finds themselves in a thriller and a horrific situation. If that's a genre movie you're up for. Here you go! 

  • Nanna Blondell and Anastasios Soulis are solid as their characters Nadja and David respectively.

  • That scene with the call to the radio station at the beginning of the movie. It was cute, and quickly creates an investment into the relationship between Nadja and David that carries the rest of the story. 

  • Watching how Nadja and David deal with the terrifying predicament they find themselves in should keep you engaged with the film. 

  • There's a certain efficiency to the narrative of the plot that I liked. At the same time, it didn’t feel rushed, and had its own careful pacing. 

  • While there is some familiarity to the movie in some regards, it's not without some surprises either. 

  • Hey, if you're ever in a situation similar to Nadja and David, use their story as a cautionary tale. They sure give several examples for life lessons.

NEGATIVES…

  • Expect some familiar predictable plot devices normally associated with these kinds of stories. 

  • Not the most high octane thriller that you might have wanted from it. 

  • There are poor decisions that might frustrate you. 

  • The character of David might frustrate you. 

  • Heck, there are questionable plot turns that might frustrate you. 

  • doesthedogdie.com

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Red Dot - watched it on NETFLIX

Fear of Rain

POSITIVES…

  • Right from the beginning, this film does what it can to throw you on a loop into wondering what to make of it, and that continues through the rest of the movie. 

  • Carries an air of suspense in the sense that you're constantly expecting the unexpected thing to happen. Adds to that creepy thriller factor that the movie has at times. 

  • Narrative-wise, it lays down several mysterious plot elements that should compel you enough to want to see it through until the conclusion. 

  • Madison Iseman is excellent in her role as Rain Burroughs. She makes it easy to root for her character here. She's easily the best thing about this movie. 

  • Several of the best moments of this film are the heavy scenes where Iseman gets to really shine as a dramatic actress. Bravo! 

  • Israel Broussard as Caleb, brings some nice light-heartedness to the movie and to the character of Rain herself.

  • I liked the visual and aural touches that attempt to demonstrate Rain's mindset as someone with schizophrenia.

  • While it seems like the film only really gives you a taste of what schizophrenia is, it at least demonstrates how serious mental health should be treated.

NEGATIVES…

  • Rain's got ridiculously sharp scratches. 

  • There's just that bit of predictability to the narrative that might ruin it for you. 

  • The plot conveniences and inconsistencies makes the movie a little manipulative. 

  • Tonally can be all over the place at times, like there are two different movies mashed into one here. 

  • Some parts of the story can feel a little too unbelievable for my taste.

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Fear of Rain - watched it on VIDEO ON DEMAND

Nomadland

POSITIVES…

  • Premise covers such a powerful topic and a strong social commentary of the fragility of economic stability, and the spirit of living a nomadic life. 

  • Narrative for this story was almost like it could very well have just been a documentary. The background history of Empire, Nevada, as told in the opening is a true story after all.

  • Monologues. There are some really good ones here. 

  • Frances McDormand is powerfully nuanced in her role as Fern. 

  • David Strathairn is solid as always, as his character Dave. 

  • Real life nomads Linda May, Swankie, Derek Endres, and Bob Wells, were an excellent addition and resource for this movie. 

  • Vanguard the Van really is like a character on it's own. 

  • There are lots of little scenes, montages, vignettes, nature filled visuals, intimate moments, that are beautifully shared with us. 

  • “I’m not homeless, I’m just houseless.” 

  • There's a lot of important knowledge that you can learn just from watching this film. 

  • Evocative, insightful, and emotional.

  • Is this a story about survival? Sure. It's also a movie about life, humanity, and nature.

NEGATIVES…

  • The narrative can feel a little aimless. 

  • Considering the premise of this film, some people might find this boring.

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Nomadland - watched it on HULU

I Care A Lot

POSITIVES…

  • Fascinating premise. The fact that the scam presented in this film is actually something that happens in the real world is a horrible thing. Horrible thing. 

  • The narrative purposefully makes you feel conflicted with how you want the movie to conclude, but it was definitely compelling and engaging. 

  • Rosamund Pike is phenomenal as Marla Grayson. She really brings her despicably capable strong-willed character to life. She is the reason to see this movie. 

  • Dianne Wiest is spectacular as Jennifer Peterson, and her scenes with Rosamund Pike are great. 

  • Peter Dinklage. Excellent actor. What’s not to like about him? 

  • Eiza González is excellent in this as Fran, and brings a good balance to Pike’s character. 

  • The scene where Dean Ericson, played fantastically by Chris Messina, has a talk with Marla Grayson is just perfect. 

  • “Let’s just say you’ll not be comfortable, or uncomfortable ever again.” 

  • There aren't a lot of action sequences in this movie, but the one they did have was pretty exciting. 

  • More scenes with Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage please.

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s a movie that’s mostly filled with detestable individuals. I mean, who do you root for? 

  • Some conveniences and liberties taken that cheapens the story a bit. 

  • A couple of plot details that kinda just didn’t make sense to me at all. 

  • I get a hint of some war of the sexes theme here within the story, that I didn’t particularly think was necessary. 

  • There are people who will take away the wrong message from this film.

  • Wasn’t completely satisfied with the conclusion.

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I Care A Lot - watched it on NETFLIX

Happy Cleaners

POSITIVES…

  • The very relatable premise should hit home with a lot of families. The generation gap differences, the bickering, and some dysfunctionality, definitely might feel familiar. 

  • Within the first 10 minutes, you completely get a feel of the family dynamics. Grabs you into these characters’ lives immediately. 

  • The plot progression should definitely keep you engaged to see it through. 

  • A lot of the dialogue and the interactions between the family were one of the best things about this film. Felt as real as it gets. 

  • The cast of the Choi Family is excellent in this. Hyang-hwa Lim, Yun Jeong, Yeena Sung, and Charles Ryu. Kudos! 

  • Talking about food recipes. Making meals. Visuals of food. Eating. All that was very entertaining to me, but it also made me quite hungry. 

  • I greatly appreciated the fact that this movie focuses on the topic of having your own local business, and the struggles that come from trying to survive at it. It’s the American dream, and “Anything is possible if you work your ass off.” Heck, It’s the Asian-American dream too! 

  • Unsurprisingly, there are scenes that get very emotional. Sympathetic and empathetic. This film has a lot of heart. 

  • It’s not without some delightful bits of levity thrown here and there. I enjoyed them.  

  • Thematically covers several good topics, about family, responsibility, perseverance, culture, and about life as an immigrant. 

  • Insightful. Compelling. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming. Solid film all around by filmmakers Julian Kim, Peter S. Lee, and Kat Kim. Kamsahamnida!

NEGATIVES…

  • It’s not exactly a uniquely unfamiliar family drama, it simply has a straightforward narrative, and there’s nothing flashy, stylish, or anything like that. So I suppose it can be accused of not being the most exciting movie to watch. Depends on your perspective of course. 

  • Those who hate reading subtitles might find the mixed language format distracting.

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Happy Cleaners - watch it on VIDEO ON DEMAND